s 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


.The. 


Cliff  Dwellers 


••'.  ; 

.  Jay  Smith^Exploring  Compenv 

WORLD'S 

COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 

1893 


'HE  H.  JAY  SMITH  EXPLORING  COMPANY  desire 

i 

to  acknowledge  the  many  courtesies  extended  to 
the  Cliff-Dwellers  Exhibit  by  Prof.  F.  W.  PUT 
NAM,  Chief  of  Department  of  Ethnology,  W. 
C.  E.;  the  valuable  assistance  of  MR.  FRANK 
HAMILTON  CUSHING,  in  describing  and  iden 
tifying  specimens,  and  the  services  of  Mr.  W 
K.  WETHERILL  and  his  sons,  as  well  as 
those  of  ]\fR.  CHARLES  C.  MASON,  for  their 
pioneer  work  in  exploring  the  Mancos  region. 


rn 


If 


An  extinct  race,  leaving  no  history  by  which  modern 
investigators  may  arrive  at  a  definite  knowledge  of  the  age  in 
which  they  lived,  or  their  pursuits,  the  "  Cliff  Dwellers  "  form 
an  interesting  and  puzzling  subject  of  conjecture  for  ethnol 
ogists,  fascinating  for  its  very  illusiveness. 

They  are  the  earliest  examples  of  civilization  on  the 
American  continent,  contemporary  with  the  ancient  Cave  Dwell 
ers  of  Europe  and  Lake  Dwellers  of  Switzerland,  and  are  by 
far  the  most  highly  civilized  representatives  of  the  "  Stone  Age," 
antedating  the  Aztecs  and  the  Toltecs,  and  exhibiting  almost  as 
high  a  degree  of  civilization. 

The  time  at  which,  they  lived  has  been  variously  fixed  at 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  three  thousand  years  ago,  but  there  is 
nothing  more  definite  than  conjecture.  Some  of  the  ruins  have 
trees  growing  through  them,  which  are  doubtless  hundreds  of 
years  old,  but  how  many  ages  elapsed  before  those  trees  sprang 
into  life  is  unknown.  They  are  a  mythical  race,  exhibiting  in 
the  relics  found,  rare  powers  and  refined  tastes  at  variance  with 
the  common  idea  of  aborigines. 

(1) 


RUIN    CANON,    UTAH. 


DOUBLE    HOUSES,    RUIN    CANON. 


3 

The  most  perfectly  preserved  relics  are  those  of  the  Canon 
of  the  Colorado,  where  a  succession  of  villages  remain  almost 
intact,  showing  very  clearly  their  method  of  building,  and  where 
many  valuable  remains  have  been  found,  which  have  thrown 
great  light  upon  the  lives  of  this  far-distant  people.  Through 
New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  Arizona  are  scattered  villages  in  a  more 
or  less  perfect  state  of  preservation,  but  those  of  Colorado  have 
proved  of  the  most  value  to  explorers  and  investigators. 

Their  building  is  peculiarly  advanced  for  such  primitive 
people,  balconies  and  towers,  windows  and  doors  showing  evi 
dence  of  an  architectural  instinct  far  better  developed  than  in 
many  subsequent  races.  Great  stone  walls,  in  some  cases  as 
much  as  a  hundred  feet  high,  formed  almost  unsurmountable 
barriers  against  invading  foes,  and  betray  their  great  ingenuity 
and  foresight.  Everything  is  indicative  of  their  having  been 
in  constant  danger  from  the  depredations  and  invasion  of  some, 
to  us  unknown,  enemies,  as  they  built  no  stairs,  cut  no  steps, 
simply  hollowed  out  slight  foot  and  hand  holds,  by  means  of 
which  and  ladders  they  ascended  and  descended  to  their  dwell 
ings.  The  walls  were  strongly  built  of  stones,  cemented 
together,  and  in  some  cases  balconies  made  of  logs  and  covered 
with  bark  and  adobe  projected  over  the  cliffs.  The  doors  were 
odd  "T"  shaped  openings  so  built  to  admit  easy  entrance  to 
the  large  carrying  paniers  in  which  all  their  provisions  were 
brought  to  their  homes.  The  living  rooms  are  in  most  cases 
circular,  with  a  low  stone  seat  running  about  the  sides,  fitted 
with  hollowed-out  stone  closets,  and  having  fire-places  in  the 
center.  Under  separate  ledges  of  rock  are  small,  unlighted  rooms 
where  grain  was  stored. 

From  bones  and  mummies  found  in  the  ruins  it  is  proved 
that  they  were  a  large,  well-developed  race,  fully  equal  in  size 


THE    HIGH    TOWER. 


—  5  — 

to  the  men  of  to-day.  The  heads  were  well  formed,  and 
denote  a  more  than  ordinary  degree  of  intelligence,  with  rather 
refined  faces,  fair  skin,  and  fine  hair,  often  light  and  totally 
different  from  most  of  the  modern  Indian  races  now  known, 
excepting,  perhaps,  the  Zuni  Puehlo  Indians — the  most  remark 
able  living  representatives  of  the  native  tribes  of  America,  of 
whom  they  are  claimed  to  be,  and  that,  with  great  possibility, 
the  direct  ancestors.  Their  homes  were  fortresses,  where  they 
lived  secure  and  tilled  a  living  from  the  rich  soil  of  the  table 
lands  above  them.  Corn,  beans,  pumpkin  and  squash  seeds 
found  in  the  houses  show  their  chief  articles  of  food,  while 
the  many  implements  used  and  their  granaries  indicate  their 
agricultural  spirit.  They  had  water  reservoirs  and  irrigating 
canals,  crude  but  clever  provision  against  the  dry  climate  of  the 
country  which  requires  heavy  irrigation  to  perform  the  duty  of 
rains  in  other  locations. 

Though  undoubtedly  agriculturally  inclined  they  cultivated 
only  small  gardens,  yielding  sufficient  sustenance  for  absolute 
necessity.  Probably  their  time  was  too  fully  taken  up  in  defend 
ing  themselves  against  their  enemies  to  admit  of  their  engaging 
in  extensive  out-door  work,  and  with  their  primitive  implements 
it  was  impossible  to  cultivate  a  great  amount  of  ground.  It 
must  have  been  a  great  hardship  for  them  to  live  in  their 
almost  inaccessible  homes,  and  farm  the  land  above  them, 
necessitating  carrying  all  implements  and  products  up  and 
down  the  steep  cliffs. 

Among  their  products  was  wild  cotton,  and  this  they  wove 
into  cloth  which  they  used  for  clothing  and  wrappings  for  their 
dead.  They  dressed  in  coarse  garments  of  yucca  fibre,  woven 
together  with  feathers  and  hair,  and  encased  their  feet  in  rough, 
sandals  also  made  from  yucca,  bound  with  a  stout  twine  made  of 


_7  — 

the  twisted  fibre.  About  their  necks  they  wore  ornaments  ever 
dear  to  the  primitive  heart,  made  of  turkey  bones,  shells,  and 
small  smooth  pebbles,  drilled  through  and  strung  together  with 
fibre.  Some  of  their  sandals  were  artistically  woven  in  delicate 
raised  piitterns  and  in  different  colors;  a  most  admirable  product 
of  patience  and  handiwork  when  the  coarseness  of  the  material  is 
kept  in  mind.  They  carried  their  babies  on  their  backs,  strapped 
to  a  baby-board  similar  to  the  ones  now  used  among  certain 
tribes,  made  of  bent  wood,  woven  across  with  yucca  fibre. 

Their  axes  were  of  stone  with  edges  of  sufficient  sharpness 
for  felling  trees,  bound  about  with  flexible  wood,  twisted  to  form 
the  handle,  but  almost  as  indispensable  were  the  paddles  and 
knee-boards  used  in  beating  and  rolling  the  ever  necessary  yucca. 

They  ate  with  stone  knives,  and  spoons  made  of  bone,  and 
cooked  their  food  in  earthen  vessels,  which  they  made  by  twisting 
a  small  roll  of  wet  clay  round  and  round  in  coils,  then  pinching 
it  down  and  shaping  it  into  large  vessels.  They  manufactured 
other  pottery  in  the  shape  of  drinking  cups,  vases,  and  lamps, 
some  of  them  highly  decorated  in  red  and  black,  most  of  the 
patterns  being  geometrical.  A  few  bowls  bear  figure  designs  of 
men  and  animals,  but  nothing  which  would  throw  any  light  upon 
the  characters  or  pursuits  of  the  people,  being  merely  roughly 
drawn  pictures. 

They  used  needles  of  bone  and  thread  of  yucca  fibre  and 
cotton,  darned  their  clothing  and  mended  their  sandals  in  a  very 
civilized  fashion. 

They  were  not  a  warlike  people — their  fighting  was  simply 
done  in  defense.  Arrows  of  reed,  with  hard  wood  or  flint 
points  with  strong  bows  of  sinew,  were  their  chief  implements, 
of  war,  and  the  small  number  of  these  found  is  indicative  of 
their  naturally  quiet  and  peaceable  natures,  which  only  rose  up 


SPECIMENS    OF    LAMPS.  VESSELS    FOR    HOLDING    GRAIN, 


DECORATED    DRINKING    VESSELS. 


f 


DECORATED    VESSELS. 


MORTARS    AND    PESTLES. 


—  9  — 

to  defend  themselves  against  the  attacks  of  thsir  foes.  Their 
dead  were  buried  in  stone  chambers,  tightly  sealed  and  protected 
from  the  air.  The  bodies  were  first  wrapped  in  skin  or  coarse 
cotton  cloth,  outside  was  a  wrapping  of  feather  cloth,  then  mat 
ting,  and  lastly  a  binding  of  reeds.  Buried,  as  they  were,  in 
the  peculiarly  dry  earth  and  rarified  air  of  Colorado,  the  bodies 
are  in  a  more  perfect  state  of  preservation  than  most  mummies, 
and  give  the  strongest  insight  into  the  personality  of  this  long- 
vanished  people.  How  and  why, they  became  extinct  is  a  puzzle 
to  all  explorers.  That  they  were  quite  a  numerous  race  is  evi 
dent  from  the  great  size  and  number  of  their  buildings,  which 
could  only  have  been  built  by  many  hands.  Some  scientists 
advance  the  theory  that  some  dreadful  plague  broke  out  among 
them,  totally  destroying  the  whole  nation,  but  there  is  little  if 
any  proof  to  substantiate  this  belief.  Others  think  that  an 
opposing  horde  of  invaders  swept  down  upon  them.  It  is, 
however,  advanced,  with  much  to  prove  this  theory,  that  the 
remains  of  decimated  bands  found  safety  in  emigration  and 
have  become,  under  the  influence  of  time,  climate,  and  different 
surroundings,  the  Zuni  Pueblo  Indians  of  to-day. 


WETMEWLL  MAP  OF 

RIO  DE  LOS  MANGOS 

A»D  ITS 

TRIBUTARY  CANONS 

EXPLORED  BY  THE 

M  JAY  SMiTh  PARTY- 


ARIZONA 


"SHE,"     ONE    OF    THE    FIRST    MUMMIES    FOUND. 


THE  CLIFF  DWELLERS  EXHIBIT 


.  AT    THE  . 


WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


The  exhibition  of  this  collection  is  one  of  the  first  success 
ful  attempts  ever  made  in  bringing  within  the  easy  understanding 
of  the  visitor  one  of  the  most  interesting  branches  of  archaeology. 

Anthropology  and  its  allied  sciences  have  been  heretofore 
considered  the  domain  of  the  scholar  and  scientist,  and  but  few 
persons  have  attempted  to  study  the  fascinating  history  of  the 
primitive  man,  his  habits,  his  handiwork,  his  life. 

(13) 


SPECIMENS    OF    POTTERY. 


LADLE-SHAPED    VESSELS. 


—  la 
in  the  study  of  the  Cliff  Dwellers   we  find  a  special  interest, 
as  they  represent,  no  doubt,  the  earliest  civilization  of  the  Ameri 
can  continent. 

The  preparation  of  the  Cliff  Dwellers  Exhibit  was  under 
taken  nearly  two  years  ago  by  the  H.  Jay  Smith  Exploring 
Company.  Careful  survey  of  the  caiions  of  Colorado  and  Utah 
and  the  collection  of  specimens  from  the  ruins  was  carried  on 
with  success  for  several  months  and  the  construction  of  the 
building  and  arrangement  of  the  exhibit  required  a  long  time 
and  the  untiring  labors  of  a  skilled  company  of  artists. 

The  outside  of  the  building  represents  Battle  Rock  Mount- 
.ain,  a  weird  and  solitary  landmark  in  the  desert  of  South 
western  Colorado. 

The  representation  of  this  mysterious  and  legendary  rock 
has  been  admitted  to  be  an  excellent  selection  for  the  building  to 
contain  the  priceless  mementos  of  a  long  vanished  race. 

Upon  entering  the  gateway  made  to  represent  one  of  the 
dwellings  of  the  cliffs,  one  finds  himself  in  the  celebrated  Mancos 
Canon;  rocks  covered  with  the  yucca  plant  and  the  sage-brush 
rise  on  both  sides  to  the  height  of  seventy  feet,  and  in  the  recesses 
of  the  tumbling  sandstone  are  reproduced  on  a  scale  of  one-tenth, 
the  most  picturesque  ruins  bearing  the  greatest  archceologic 
interest.  Cliff  Palace,  which  once  harbored  over  twelve  hundred 
inhabitants,  is  reproduced  on  the  left  with  its  towers  and  build 
ings  in  ruins,  just  as  they  were  found  by  the  exploring  party  on 
its  last  visit  to  the  canon  where  photographs,  measurements,  and 
diagrams  were  made  of  all  the  buildings  to  be  reproduced  here. 
On  the  right,  Square  Tower  House  rises  to  the  height  of  ten 
superposed  stories  of  dwellings,  while  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Canon  Balcony  House  is  to  be  found,  exhibiting  one  of  the  rare 
and  fast  disappearing  examples  of  the  cedar  balconies  to  be  found 


STONE    AXES    AND    HAMMERS. 


CARVED    STONE    USED    FOR    HOLD 
ING    ROPE    LADDER. 


STONE    KNIVES,    DAGGER,    ARROW    POINTS. 


—  17  — 

in    the    region.     Further    on    is    High    House,    one    of   the   most 
inaccessible  refuges  of  the  persecuted  Cliff  Dweller. 

In  an  artificial  underground  cave  panoramic  paintings  of 
Ruin  Castle,  Spruce  Tree  House,  Long  House,  She  House,  and 
Cliff  Palace  may  be  seen.  These  excellent  canvasses,  the  work 
of  a  young  artist,  who  joined  the  party  and  made  careful  sketches 
on  the  spot,  add  great  interest  to  the  collection.  Specially  con 
trived  means  of  lighting  add  much  to  the  reality  of  the  scenes 
depicted  and  give  to  the  visitor  a  fair  idea  of  the  rarified  and 
clear  atmosphere  of  Colorado. 

Coming  out  of  the  cave,  "estufas"  and  living  rooms  are 
reproduced  in  exact  size,  and  show  the  material,  the  construction 
of  the  dwellings,  assembly  rooms,  kitchens,  graves,  and  granaries. 
Beyond  is  the  museum,  where  no  pains  have  been  spared  to 
arrange  and  exhibit  upward  of  two  thousand  specimens  bearing 
directly  upon  the  subject.  "She,"  one  of  the  first  and  best 
preserved  mummies  found  in  the  grave  of  the  ruin  —  called 
afterward  the  She  House  —  is  the  centre  of  a  rare  and  complete 
collection  of  mummies.  This  department  comprises  mummies  of 
men,  women,  children,  skulls  and  hair,  burial  robes,  and  wrappings. 

The  pottery  exhibit  is  most  complete,  and  comprises  all  that 
could  be  desired  from  very  large  and  beautiful  specimens  of 
the  coil-ware,  used  for  cooking,  to  the  decorated  vessels,  used 
for  drinking  or  storing  grain;  some  of  the  vessels  are  most 
ornate.  On  one  vase  a  Cliff  Dweller  is  seen  hunting  deer  with 
bow  and  arrows;  on  a  drinking  vessel  the  picture  of  a  dancing 
figure  is  represented,  while  on  another  turkeys  ornament  the 
handle  of  a  drinking  cup.  The  interior  of  many  vases  are 
decorated  with  geometrical  patterns — circles,  squares,  and  lines — 
wreathes  of  leaves  in  black  and  red.  In  one  case  a  small  jug 
is  inlaid  with  square  pieces  of  mother  pearl. 


, 


-19  — 

Their  agricultural  pursuits  are  represented  by  numerous 
packages  of  seeds,  beans,  pumpkins  and  squashes,  corn  and  corn 
cobs,  planting,  sticks,  and  other  implements. 

Their  knowledge  of  textile  weaving  is  shown  by  pieces 
of  a  loom,  wild-cotton  cloth  of  great  fineness — cloth,  woven 
from  the  fibre  of  the  yucca  plant,  and  pieces  of  garments, 
probably  used  as  leggings,  made  of  Yucca  fiber  interwoven 
with  human  hair;  a  piece  of  a  burial  robe  shows  a  delicate 
weaving  of  yucca  colored  in  yellow,  black,  and  probably  white; 
proving  that  in  weaving,  as  well  as  in  the  art  of  the  potter, 
they  had  reached  a  certain  knowledge  of  decoration  and 
arrangement  of  color. 

The  basket-making  is  also  largely  represented  and  shows 
great  dexterity  in  handling  the  rough  fibre  of  the  yucca.  Over 
ninety  pairs  of  sandals  show  the  diversity  of  manufacture  from' 
the  rough  sand  shoe  made  of  the  full  leaf  of  the  yucca,  to 
finely  woven  and  decorated  sandals. 

The  remains  of  a  ceremonial  head-band  prove  that  they 
had  religious  rites  of  some  nature,  while  a  gaming-stick, 
similar  to  the  one  used  in  the  "Pachisi"  game  of  India,  and 
the  "  Ta-sho-li-w6 "  of  the  Zunis,  show  that  gambling  was  not 
unknown  to  them. 

Several  fine  specimens  of  feather-cloth  and  buckskin  gar 
ments  denote  their  fondness  for  ease  and  comfort,  and  the 
rare  stone  axes,  bows,  arrows,  and  sling-shots  found  give 
additional  proof  to  their  peaceful  pursuits  and  may  also  give 
a  cue  to  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  this  once  great  nation, 
which  was  possibly  annihilated  by  more  warlike  tribes  sur 
rounding  it. 


F 


CLIFF   CANON,  COLORADO. 


La  Monte-  O'DonneU  Co.,  Printers,  Chicago 


12    7601 


